Welcome to

Phylogenomic Discovery and Engineering of Nitrogen Fixation

The Research

Engineering bioenergy crops so they can be grown in marginal lands

Nitrogen

Nitrogen compounds are essential to plant development, but atmospheric nitrogen must be fixed (transformed) into molecules that plants can use. Bacteria are the only organisms able to carry out nitrogen fixation.

Nitrogen-fixing Bacteria

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are found in many environments. Some nitrogen-fixing bacteria found in the soil have the additional ability to live inside the root nodules of certain plants, such as legumes, and provide fixed nitrogen to the plant host.

Bioenergy Crops

Most plants utilized for bioenergy production are not capable of hosting nitrogen-fixing bacteria, so they require applications of nitrogen to increase the speed of growth. However, nitrogen application is costly, environmentally damaging, and potentially hazardous to human health.

Our Research

We received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop mechanisms to engineer bioenergy crops so that these plants can fix nitrogen via root nodule symbioses. If we are successful, engineered bioenergy crops could be cultivated in marginal lands that have little agricultural value due to poor soil or other characteristics.

 

The Scientific Approach

 

 

Aim One

Discovery of the genetic toolkit of nodule symbioses

Our phylogenomic approach involves obtaining genomic data form 15,000 species. We are collecting tissues of these species from different herbaria across the world.

 

Aim Two

Verification of molecular mechanisms of nodulation

We will verify the function of candidate genes discovered in Aim One for their effect on root nodule development in Medicago (nodulating) and poplar root organ cultures (non-nodulating).

 

Aim Three

Engineering nodulation in bioenergy crops

We will engineer promising genes identified in Aim Two into poplar, evaluate the development of nodules, and test the impact of these introduced genes on N-fixation and whole-plant properties.

Principal Investigators

 

Jean-Michel Ané

Jean-Michel Ané

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Ryan Folk

Ryan Folk

University of Florida

Rob Guralnick

Rob Guralnick

University of Florida

Matias Kirst

Matias Kirst
Project Director

University of Florida

Sushmita Roy

Sushmita Roy

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Doug Soltis

Pam and Doug Soltis

University of Florida

 

Team Members

 

Kelly Balmant

Kelly Balmant

University of Florida

Daniel Conde

Daniel Conde
Project Coordinator

University of Florida

Matthew Crook

Matthew Crook

Weber State University

Christoperh Dervinis

Christopher Dervinis

University of Florida

Thomas Irving

Thomas Irving

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Heather Rose Kates

Heather Rose Kates

University of Florida

Sara Knaack

Sara Knaack

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Lucas Gontijo Silva Maia

Lucas Gontijo Silva Maia

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Brian O'Meara

Brian O'Meara

University of Tennessee

Bella Ruben

Bella Ruben

University of Florida

Henry Schmidt

Henry Schmidt

University of Florida

Partners

California Academy of Sciences
 
New York Botanical Garden
The Ohio State University Herbarium
Missouri Botanical Garden
Harvard University Herbaria

 
University of Florida
University of Wisconsin Madison
University of Tennessee Knoxville
Weber State University